Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an incurable autoimmune disease that drastically affects one’s life. People who have T1D do not make insulin or do not make enough of it. This is due to a deficiency in pancreatic ꞵ-cells. The gut microbiome contains many microbes within it. Some microbes such as Bacteriodetes and Firmicutes are hypothesized to contribute to T1D. To look at these microbes’ role in T1D, we stained the large and small intestine, pancreas, and colon of non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. The stains used were Fluorescence in situ hybridization, Muc2, Islet immunostaining, and Alcian Blue-Periodic Acid-Schiff Histology (AB/PAS). We hypothesized that with a larger population of Bacteriodetes and Firmicutes, there would be less of pancreatic islets. The expected results are a difference in the mucus membrane, bacteria population, and islets between the NOR and NOD mice.
Author(s): Ashley Koby, Jenah Calderhead, Colby Collins, Isabela Davis, Zoe Flores Rae, Melody Lebus, McKenzie Paul, Katarina Teasdale
Advisor(s): Michael Kennedy, Chemistry & Biohemistry
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